Horner labells Perez as "extraordinary team player"
After four seasons together, Red Bull announced last week that Sergio Pérez will part ways with the Milton Keynes-based squad ahead of the 2025 F1 season.
Red Bull announced earlier this week that Sergio Perez will leave the team with immediate effect as the Milton Keynes-based outfit and the Mexican driver have reached an agreement to part ways ahead of next season.
The decision put an end to the speculation of recent months, and means that the Mexican driver will leave the Austro-British outfit despite the deal that would have seen the 34-year-old driver race for the team until the end of 2026.
The Guadalajara-born driver joined Red Bull in 2021, and helped his team-mate Max Verstappen win his first championship title that year, playing a pivotal role at the title-deciding 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
However, he has failed to deliver a consistent performance over the last couple of years. Perez has won five races with Red Bull, and finished second in the Drivers' Championship last year, but he has endured periods during which he simply struggled for outright pace in qualifying.
After a strong start to the 2024 season, Red Bull elected to extend his contract by a further two years which would see Perez race for the Milton Keynes-based outfit until at least the end of the 2026 F1 season. However, the Mexican struggled for pace after his contract extension.
In total, Perez completed four seasons and 90 race starts with Red Bull, and enjoyed the most successful spell of his 13 years in Formula One. As well as scoring five wins, including victory at the Monaco Grand Prix and a pair of Azerbaijan Grand Prix wins that earned him a reputation as ‘F1’s King of the Streets’, the Mexican racer helped the team to two Constructors’ Championship titles, in 2022 and 2023. As a title runner-up in his own regard last year, he also sealed the Red Bull’s first one-two finish in the Drivers’ standings.
Reflecting on the decision, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner highlighted Perez's performances on the street circuits, which saw the Mexican driver score a total of five triumphs.
“I would like to thank Checo for all he has done for Oracle Red Bull Racing over the past four seasons. From the moment he joined in 2021 he proved himself to be an extraordinary Team player, helping us to two Constructors’ titles and to our first 1-2 finish in the Drivers’ championship.
"His five wins, all on street circuits, were also a spectacular mark of his determination to always push to the limit. While Checo will not race for the Team next season, he will always be an extremely popular Team member and a treasured part of our history. Thank you, Checo.”
